466 Sheaffer Catalog Of Desk Sets 1970s 39 Pages

PCAccent for December 2008 - Vol. 1 No. 10

Welcome to PCAccent. This newsletter is an adjunct, an "accent" if you will, to
the PCA's Web site and the PENnant. The Board of Directors will use PCAccent to
keep you informed about PCA news and happenings.

PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS NEWSLETTER! For comments or questions, send email to
PCA President Carla Mortensen. To subscribe or unsubscribe, please send email to
Membership Coordinator Kim Sosin. Email addresses for Carla and Kim can be found
on the PCA's Web site:
http : //www. pencollectors . com/

If you have news that would benefit our members, please send an email to Deb
Kinney - debkinney(a)alumni.duke. edu , the PCAccent Editor.

*** Message from the President - Carla Mortensen ***

Warmest holiday greetings from me in my new capacity as PCA President to you and
your family. I hope this season finds you well and able to use your favorite pens
on greeting cards and invitations. {I used my new Sailor Pro Gear with a medium
cursive italic holding a gorgeous Visconti teal ink.}

As you are probably aware, we have been soldiering away on several projects which
we hope will help you enjoy the hobby more. Our new website is set to launch on
or about January 1st, and we will be continuing to add to and improve the
functionality as the months go by.
Please take a moment to let us know how you like it.

Our new website, as well as our other activities, are described in more detail
below. In addition, under the able leadership of Richard Darvis and Anna Lawson,
we continue to produce a great magazine for which we are always looking for
contributors. There is no hidden office of ghost writers; our membership is
generous in sharing their time and interests and we welcome submissions on
anything even pen vaguely pen-related.

Finally, I am in this position because I love pens and I love pen people. Please
don't ever hesitate to get in touch with me to discuss any pen issue you might
have.

Warmly, Carla Mortensen mortensen . carla(a)gmail . com

*** Position Announcement - Kim Sosin ***

Position Description, Assistant to the Board, Pen Collectors of America

The "Assistant to the PCA Board" will be expected to serve the PCA board and
membership as described below. The supervisor of the position will be the PCA
President, although some oversight tasks may be delegated to board members who
will work with the Assistant at the request of the President. The primary purpose
of this position is record-keeping, continuity of address for members-" contact,
information gathering for the board, pen show presence, and other duties as
deemed appropriate by the Board. The membership of PCA is over 1000 and growing.
After an initial period of orientation and implementation, the job is expected to
take about 10 hours per week, with some seasonal variation. The continuation of
this position is contingent on growth and funding. The hourly wage will be
between $10 and $15 per hour, depending on ability and experience. PCA is an
equal opportunity employer. Apply by email only. Email a brief letter and resume
to Kim Sosin ( kim(a)penquest . com ) . Deadline January 2, 2009. The requirements and
responsibilities of the position are the following: 1. work with the pen
collectors-" community, assist members with their membership records, encourage
new memberships, and keep records of membership for PCA and The Pennant. 2. use
Excel (intermediate level), or a software database as required by web entry in
the near future, for membership records. This will include collecting membership
data from mail and Paypal and entering the membership data into an Excel
spreadsheet or a database for the web. 3. use Microsoft Word (intermediate level)
or other software to create and update a PCA brochure and to prepare monthly
mailings to members who subscriptions are expiring. 4. oversee the PCA pen booth
at six or more major pen shows each year to recruit members. 5. work with the
Pennant staff to provide accurate membership addresses on time for each issue. 6.
work with the PCA librarian on filing, copying, and mailings as needed. 7. find
information as needed by the board, for example, alternate locations and costs
for board retreats, and travel costs. 8. performance of (or learning of) basic
maintenance on the PCA website (but not to serve as webmaster) will be regarded
as a plus. 9. perform any other duties as assigned by the board as deemed
appropriate.

*** Website Update - Rick Propas ***

The project to create a new, interactive PCA website continues to progress well
and on schedule. You should be able to register for and use the website shortly
after the new year.

The site will feature the traditional news and information, a discussion board, a
pen show calendar, improved member services including renewal, access to
downloads from The Pennant and the PCA Library, games and fun. Stay tuned for
more on this great new member benefit and remember to give memberships to any of
your pen friends who are not already members so they can join you at the site.

*** PCA Annual Meeting ***

Our annual meeting was held at the Columbus Pen show this past November. For an
update on PCA efforts, please take a look at our meeting minutes. This and other
news can be found on our website http : //www. pencollectors . com/pea -news . html

*** PENnant News - Richard Darvis ***

As we are preparing for the next issue of The Pennant , it's not too late to get
in your ideas for articles. Please submit either your ideas or complete articles
to Managing Editor Richard Darvis at wordherder62(a)gmail . com

*** Scribbles - Deb Kinney ***

How to drop hints for the fountain pen you want for your holiday gift.

I am an old pro when it comes to dropping hints for gifts I want to receive. I am
not saying that I am the most subtle person. But I do get my point across. Now,
since you are reading this with only 11 days to go, you may have to be aggressive
in your hint dropping. I usually suggest starting the first part of November if
you can. After all, some folks are thick and need repeated hints before they
consider the possibility that you are trying to insinuate that you want a gift.
But since you don't have time for inconspicuous hints a more direct approach is
needed.

First, be helpful. Have the specific make, model, color and nib size all spelled
out. Remember to use exact language, because everyone does not know pen lingo.

Next, make it easy. Have a catalogue or website available with your choice
indicated and an easy toll-free number or link that people can use to make the
purchase. The most important step is placement.

Remember subtlety is out the window. You need to go for obvious. So, I recommend
starting with the bathroom. By nature people look for things to read while...
otherwise occupied. Why not look at a pen catalogue?

Normally, I would say just dog ear the page, but not at this late date.
Open it up and circle the pen you want. Another great place is the bedroom
pillow. You know that it will be less than 24 hours before the person finds the
hint. Other obvious places include the car seat and the microwave. I suggest, to
cover all your bases, that you have several copies of the catalogue or a printed
page of the pen you want.

After all, who wants another tie this season? You want a FOUNTAIN PEN.
Happy Holidays!

Tired of giving pens as gifts? How about a membership to the PCA?
http : //www. pencollectors . com/joinus . html

*** Local Pen Clubs and Volunteer Opportunities - Deb Kinney ***

Please let me know if you have local pen club news you want the members to know,
like meeting dates/times, etc. debkinney^alumni . duke . edu

Do you have some time and talent to help the PCA be all that it can be?
If so, please contact our outreach coordinator, Allan Quiat, e-mail
abquiat(g)yahoo . com , and let us know what you are interested in doing.
Opportunities abound in the areas of membership. Pens for Kids (at the shows).
Pennant article generation, etc. Let us hear from you!

St. Louis Area Fountain Pen Users Report of Meeting - November 15, 2008

The main topic for the program was a discussion of inexpensive fountain pens that
could be considered for gifts or for the basis of a collection. Dennis Lively
brought a large group of Wearever pens from his personal collection and Don
Kusterer brought some examples of less expensive pens from several pen companies
that he represents. Also, several other members brought some examples of modest
priced pens from their collections.

There was a short discussion regarding the possibility of having a one day pen
show during the next year. There was interest among those present with the caveat
that it should be only one day or maybe one afternoon, located in a
geographically accessible location that could be obtained at a reasonable cost.
Larry Allin and Kent Leichliter agreed to pursue this project and after exploring
possibilities will report back at the February meeting. If you have any thoughts
on this subject, please contact either Larry lallin(a)swbell . net or Kent
kleichliterl(Searthlink . net . Meeting dates for 2009 were also discussed and it was
decided that the meetings would continue to be held on a quarterly basis in
February, May, August and November. The consensus was that Saturday afternoons
are preferable with the understanding that due to room availability some may have
to be in the morning. Dates and times for the meetings will be secured next week
and that information will be emailed to everyone. Larry Allin continues to work
on the Yahoo site and asks that everyone who hasn't yet done so should join the
SLAPU group. You can join the group by accessing:

http : //us . rd . yahoo . com/evt=42879/*http : //groups . yahoo . com/group/ slapu

If you have any questions about joining the YAHOO SLAPU site, contact Larry Allin
lallin(Sswbell.net

The meeting dates for the St. Louis Area Pen Users group have been set for 2009.

All of the meetings will be at the Oak Bend branch of the St.

Louis County Library located at 842 S. Holmes Ave, Kirkwood, Mo 63122.

The dates and times are as follows: February 7, 2009 9:00 am to 12:00 noon May

16, 2009 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm August 15, 2009 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm November 21, 2009

1:00 pm to 5:00 pm Kent Leichliter 314 821-8217

Syracuse Pen Club meeting planned - Dec. 22, 2008

We're planning a Syracuse Pen Club on Dec. 22nd. This is subject to change, but
I'd like to float this early enough that you can get it on the schedule.

We've invited our own Gerry from FPN to join us from Toronto, Ernesto Solar hopes
to be there. We'd love to have you with us as well! We meet at the Panera in N.
Syracuse around 6:30.

Please contact me BC if you're at all interested or think that you might be able
to make it. Tuesday the 23rd is an alternate date, so speak up if that would be
better.

The best address to reach me is ron(5)mainstreetpens . com
Ron

Nothing says I love you like a free membership to the PCA. Give someone special
the award winning PENnant (I am sure someone gave it an award) and make their
holiday dreams come true!

http : //www. pencollectors . com/joinus . html